Maturity
by Alixtii
Summary: Xander's thoughts as he asks Harmony for help in Graduation Day.


**Title: **Maturity

**Author: **Episkopos Reverend Alixtii O'Krul V, ULC, TRL, of the Church of St. Jesu the Heretic, Discordian

**Summary:** Xander's thoughts as he asks Harmony for help during "Graduation Day."  
  
**Timeline:** Set during "Graduation Day." Spoilers for "Graduation Day."  
  
**Disclaimer:** Joss Whedon. Not me. Say it with me.  
  
**Rating:** PG

* * *

"Harmony, listen, I need to talk to you for a second."

"You mean in front of other people?" That was Harmony all right. But the wonder was, she didn't turn her back to him, then. She waited for him to continue, as if the insult were only habit, or posture.

Xander paused. How do you tell someone that the Mayor is going to turn into a giant snake and eat everyone at graduation?

"Well, come on, doofus," Harmony prodded. "I don't have all day. Certainly not for you."

Best to say it and get it over with. "The Mayor is going to turn into a giant snake and eat everyone at graduation."

Harmony just looked at him for a moment. "You know," she said, "you people have the strangest problems."

"Harmony, if everybody doesn't work together on this, we are all going to die."

"No, I'm in, I'm in. I'm all against getting eaten by giant snake. And if you want class solidarity, you're going to need someone cool like me in charge. Has Willow asked Percy?"

Xander nodded.

"Good. Now, the next step is..."

* * *

Harmony might be a vacuous tramp, but Xander had to give it to her: she had a head for social planning. She knew every student at the school (even if she wouldn't acknowledge the fact she knew who they were), what clique they were in, and how the cliques interacted. An A/V geek wouldn't take orders from a cheerleader, but a football player would listen to the student council, and so on. Harmony outlined exactly who had to be gone to when; Xander had to pull out a notebook and begin to take notes. At last, he had a complicated diagram: the Sunnydale High hierarchy.

"Harmony," Xander then hazarded, "about that gift to Buffy at the Prom: you're the head of the Prom committee."

"Somebody had to do it after Cordelia became so uncool."

"Harm...."

"All that means is that I approved it. Doesn't mean it was my idea."

"Was it your idea?"

Harm looked uncomfortable under his gaze. "If you tell anyone about that, Xander Harris, I'll make sure your social life is even deader than it is now, if that is possible."

"It's not, Harm, don't worry about that. But I won't tell. All I want to know is, why?"

"You think I want to be torn limb from limb by a ravenous demon? Or worse—be turned into a vampire. Just think: I wouldn't be able to get a tan! It's not my fault that Buffy hangs out with a bunch of losers that I shouldn't be caught dead around." As if to add to the dramatic effect, Harmony looked both ways, as if to ensure that no one cool was seeing them together.

"Okay," Xander said. "So, what are you doing after you graduate."

"I'm trying to talk my dad into letting me go to Paris," she answered. "I want to see Europe before it's time to hit the books again."

"You're going to college? Where, UC Sunnydale?" Harmony had gotten accepted to college? How did she manage to do that?

Harmony shook her head. "Are you crazy? I'm not staying in Sunnydale any longer than I have to. Macalaster. And get that dumb look off your face, Harris. You'd be amazed what a list of extracurriculars as long as mine can do. And now if you don't mind, there are actual cool people I could be talking to right now. And don't forget: if you don't convince the Frisbee team, you haven't convinced anyone."

College? Harmony? Now, those were two unfit-y things. Xander tried to fit his head around it again, and once again failed miserably. Xander had known Harmony since she, he, and Willow had been in third grade together. And Harmony had always been the same: a flighty, spoiled rich brat who delighted in picking on both Xander and Willow. One of the popular girls, always.  
But would that Harmony had helped them plan the defense against the Mayor? Or given Buffy the "Class Protector" award at the Prom? Maybe Harmony was maturing, growing up just a little bit. And college....

And, Xander realized, it was the people like Harmony that they were fighting for: not saints by any stretch of the imagination (and Xander still had the psychological scars from middle school to prove it), but people nonetheless, people who deserved better than to die at the hands of a giant snake. That is why they had always fought: you don't have to be perfect to deserve better than to be turned by a vampire, or mauled by a werewolf, or attacked by an invisible girl.

Underneath Harmony's veneer of the popular bitca-queen, there was a soul, after all.


End file.
